Competing Through Pain: How Khoi Ho Pushed Past an Armbar

In this episode, I sit down with my friend and training partner, Khoi Ho — a 3-stripe blue belt who’s been on the mats since 2018. Khoi shares wild stories from his competition days, including the time he got thrown into a younger bracket at the last minute, the day he was promoted to blue belt right before stepping on the mats, and even the match where he popped his arm in an armbar but refused to quit. We also dive into his experiences training at three different academies, what it really feels like to be a blue belt, and why he thinks smashing white belts is all part of the fun. Most importantly, Khoi lays out three powerful reasons why anyone should start training jiu-jitsu. If you’ve ever wondered what keeps us coming back to the mats, this conversation will get you fired up.